The author has taught a distance education version of the undergraduate technical communication service course at Boise State University since 1997 and shares the strategies he has found to decrease the time instructors spend teaching online, thereby enabling them to use the time they do have to enhance their students' online experience. These strategies are distributed among four areas: management of collaboration, presentation of course material, grading, and interaction with students. For each one, the author presents the problems that may occur and approaches to resolving them. The article addresses a number of concerns expressed in the scholarly literature on distance education and is informed by surveys given to five sections of the author's course taught between 2001 and 2003. Interspersed through the article is an overview of some of the current research and commentary on distance education of particular interest to those teaching the technical communication service course via the Internet.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education 2004, Publication #NCES 2004077, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., 2004.
2.
AllenI. E. and SeamanJ.Entering the Mainstream: The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United States, 2003 and 2004, Sloan Consortium, Needham, Massachusetts, 2004.
3.
BowmanJ. P., The Third Wave: Swimming Against the Tide, Business Communication Quarterly, 64: 2, pp. 87–92, 2001.
4.
PalloffR. M. and PrattK., Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1999.
5.
Assessing Distance Learning from a Public Policy Perspective, in Policy Steps, I.3, Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, D.C., pp. 7–9, 1994.
6.
MarkelM., Distance Education and the Myth of the New Pedagogy, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 13: 2, pp. 208–222, 1999.
7.
CookK. C., Online Professional Communication: Pedagogy, Instructional Design, and Student Preference in Internet-Based Distance Education, Business Communication Quarterly, 63: 2, pp. 106–110, 2000.
8.
MacKinnonG. R., Practical Advice for First Time Online Instructors: A Qualitative Study, Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 16: 1, pp. 21–25, 2002.
9.
HartmanJ.LewisJ. S., and PowellK. S., Inbox Shock: A Study of Electronic Message Volume in a Distance Managerial Communication Course, Business Communication Quarterly, 65: 3, pp. 9–28, 2002.
10.
McEwenB. C., Web-Assisted and Online Learning, Business Communication Quarterly, 64: 2, pp. 98–103, 2001.
11.
CodoneS., Reducing the Distance: A Study of Course Websites as a Means to Create a Total Learning Space in Traditional Courses, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 47: 3, pp. 190–199, 2004.
12.
WhiteJ. T. and MyersS. D., You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks: The Faculty's Role in Technology Implementation, Business Communication Quarterly, 64: 3, pp. 95–100, 2001.
13.
BowmanJ. P., It's Not Easy Being Green: Evaluating Student Performance in Online Business Communication Courses, Business Communication Quarterly, 66: 1, pp. 73–78, 2003.
14.
EastmondD., Enabling Student Accomplishment Online: An Overview of Factors for Success in Web-Based Distance Education, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 23: 4, pp. 343–358, 2000.
15.
BenderD. M.WoodB. J., and VredevoogdJ. D., Teaching Time: Distance Education Versus Classroom Instruction, The American Journal of Distance Education, 18: 2, pp. 103–131, 2004.
16.
BoettcherJ. V., How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Distance Learning Course?It All Depends…, Syllabus, 11: 9, pp. 56–58, 1998.
17.
JohnsonJ. L., Distance Education and Technology: What Are the Choices for Higher Education?, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 21: 2, pp. 165–181, 1999.
18.
SauersD. and WalkerR. C., A Comparison of Traditional and Technology-Assisted Instructional Methods in the Business Communication Classroom, Business Communication Quarterly, 67: 4, pp. 430–442, 2004.
19.
ArbaughJ. B., Virtual Classroom Characteristics and Student Satisfaction with Internet-Based MBA Courses, Journal of Management Education, 24: 1, pp. 32–54, 2000.
20.
SwanK.SheaP.FredericksenE.PickettA.PelzW., and MaherG., Building Knowledge Building Communities: Consistency, Contact and Communication in the Virtual Classroom, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 23: 4, pp. 359–383, 2000.
21.
ThurmondV. A.WambachK.ConnorsH. R., and FreyB. B., Evaluation of Student Satisfaction: Determining the Impact of a Web-Based Environment by Controlling for Student Characteristics, The American Journal of Distance Education, 16: 3, pp. 169–189, 2002.
22.
Benbunan-FichR. and HiltzS. R., Mediators of the Effectiveness of Online Courses, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 46: 4, pp. 298–312, 2003.
23.
MehlenbacherB.MillerC. R.CovingtonD., and LarsenJ. S., Active and Interactive Learning Online: A Comparison of Web-Based and Conventional Writing Classes, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43: 2, pp. 166–184, 2000.
24.
RoblyerM. D. and WienckeW. R., Design and Use of a Rubric To Assess and Encourage Interactive Qualities in Distance Courses, The American Journal of Distance Education, 17: 2, pp. 77–98, 2003.
25.
EastmanJ. K. and SwiftC. O., Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools, Business Communication Quarterly, 65: 3, pp. 29–41, 2002.
26.
TuC. and McIsaacM., The Relationship of Social Presence and Interaction in Online Classes, The American Journal of Distance Education, 16: 3, pp. 131–150, 2002.
27.
PooleD. M., Student Participation in a Discussion-Oriented Online Course: A Case Study, Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33: 2, pp. 162–177, 2000.
28.
LeeJ. and GibsonC. C., Developing Self-Direction in an Online Course Through Computer-Mediated Interaction, The American Journal of Distance Education, 17: 3, pp. 173–187, 2003.
29.
de BruynLobry L., Monitoring Online Communication: Can the Development of Convergence and Social Presence Indicate an Interactive Learning Environment?, Distance Education, 25: 1, pp. 67–81, 2004.
RoblyerM. D., Is Choice Important in Distance Learning? A Study of Student Motives for Taking Internet-Based Courses at the High School and Community College Levels, Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32: 1, pp. 157–171, 1999.
32.
WalkerK., Applying Distributed Learning Theory in Online Business Communication Courses, Business Communication Quarterly, 66: 2, pp. 55–67, 2003.
33.
VoleryT., Online Education: An Exploratory Study into Success Factors, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24: 1, pp. 77–92, 2001.
34.
YohonT. and ZimmermanD., Strategies for Online Critiquing of Student Assignments, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 18: 2, pp. 220–232, 2004.
35.
ArbaughJ. B., How Instructor Immediacy Behaviors Affect Student Satisfaction and Learning in Web-Based Courses, Business Communication Quarterly, 64: 4, pp. 42–54, 2001.
36.
ShueyS., Assessing Online Learning in Higher Education, Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 16: 2, pp. 13–18, 2002.
37.
TebeauxE., Technical Writing by Distance: Refocusing the Pedagogy of Technical Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, 4: 4, pp. 365–393, 1995.
38.
LowryP. B.NunamakerJ. F.Jr.BookerQ. E.CurtisA., and LowryM. R., Creating Hybrid Distributed Learning Environments by Implementing Distributed Collaborative Writing in Traditional Educational Settings, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 47: 3, pp. 171–189, 2004.
39.
BattalioJ. T.Extensible Markup Language: How Might It Alter the Software Documentation Process and the Role of the Technical Communicator?, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 32: 3, 2002.
40.
BattalioJ. T.A Methodology for Streamlining Historical Research: The Analysis of Technical and Scientific Publications, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 45: 1, 2002.
41.
BattalioJ. T.The Rhetoric of Science in the Evolution of American Ornithological Discourse, Ablex Press, Stamford, Connecticut, 1998.
42.
BattalioJ. T., ed. Essays in the Study of Scientific Discourse: Methods, Practice, and Pedagogy, Ablex Press, Stamford, Connecticut, 1998.
